(VOVWORLD) -“Father Frost”, the Russian version of Santa Claus, will avoid borders with Ukraine and annexed territories on his train tour through Russia this year.
Traditionally Russian Railways organizes a train journey to bring Santa Claus "Ded Moroz"– also known as "Father Frost"– to meet children across the country.
The Russia-Ukraine crisis has forced him to change his route. Cities, including Kursk and Belgorod, near Russia's border with Ukraine, have been taken off Santa Claus's list of stops.
The train departed from the town of Veliky Ustyug in the Vologda region on October 22. It will travel through more than 130 Russian cities on a more than 33,000 km journey in 85 days. The train will return to its departure station on January 15, 2023.